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3. In her poem "An Evening Prayer," C. Maud Battersby captured what should be the prayer of each of us every day.

4. "We all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body" (James 3:2-6).

5. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21), "There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health" (Proverbs 12:18), and, "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" (Proverbs 15:4). (Psalm 34:13).

8. You've probably heard or said yourself some time, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me." Well, that isn't true! Sticks and stones can make surface wounds, but words can wound even deeper and take a long time to heal. Wounds to the heart are hidden deep, and often no one but the one who carries them knows— no one, that is, except the heavenly Father. He sees them and understands, but what a shame that we should ever be the one to inflict that wound and cause that ugly scar!

9. Thank God, there is! The remedy begins with a change in the heart—our heart—because "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). There's only one way to change the unruly tongue, and that is to transform the heart, the spirit that controls it. The remedy begins with praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we live in the Spirit, every word will be loving and true, for God is love (1 John 4:8).

10. When His Word abides in you, you can't gossip or say unkind or bitter words. We can never control our tongue ourselves. "No man can tame the tongue" (James 3:8), but God can! "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).

11. He can come in with His Spirit, and cause kindness to flow through you because He possesses your tongue and your life. You'll become a stream of blessing to all about you. Song: “Walk a mile”.